Building School & Classroom Culture with our Students

Enlist students as collaborators and tap into their lived experiences as assets. Co-create community agreements by asking students to engage in discussions about what makes them feel safe, feel heard, feel productive and effective as a learner. Create agreements about how you will be in the space together, how you’ll take care of materials, and how you’ll take care of one another. Then, reflect, reflect, reflect. When we go back to our agreements and think about agreements we are doing well with and other agreements we need to improve, it signals that these are important to our community and we will keep working to make sure this space is safe and conducive to learning.

What did you learn about your students when you asked them what makes them feel safe, heard, productive and effective?

What community agreements did your students come up with? Were there any that surprised you?

How often are you providing opportunities for students to reflect on their behaviors as they relate to the community agreements?

For a quick start, use CASEL’s Sample Lesson Plan for Generating Classroom Shared Agreements. For a deeper look at a norm co-creation activity for upper elementary, middle, high school, and college students which includes how tos and the research behind this practice, check out Greater Good in Education’s resource. For notes on the thinking behind co-created community agreements and how to follow through, read this article from Responsive Classroom. For ideas about revisiting community agreements mid-year, check out this article from Responsive Classroom.